The new 1st Congressional District looks very similar to the old 2nd Congressional District, minus six southern counties. It also now includes Warren, Iowa, Jones and Jackson counties.
Now, let's get to know our candidates, Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Democratic state Rep. Christina Bohannan.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks currently represents Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. She also served as a state senator for the 41st district from 2019 to 2021. In 2020, Miller-Meeks ran against Rita Hart and won by a margin of six votes, one of the closest federal elections in U.S. history. While redistricting cut her hometown of Ottumwa out of the new district, Miller-Meeks is favored to win the 2022 race.
State Rep. Christina Bohannan
Democratic candidate and state Rep. Christina Bohannan is a law professor at the University of Iowa who has served as the representative for the 85th district in the Iowa House since 2021.
The issues
On Inflation
The annual rate of inflation for the United States is 8.3% for the last year, according to U.S. Labor Department data. This is hitting Iowans in the grocery store and at the pump, and it’s expected to hit Democrats, the party in power, as they try to maintain control of the House this November.
For Miller-Meeks, the solution starts with energy costs. At a Sep. 26 debate hosted by Iowa PBS, she recommended reopening the Keystone pipeline and increasing the number of federal land leases for oil production. She argued getting energy prices down now would have spillover effects across the economy.
Bohannan also looked to fuel prices but was focused on the industry setting the prices. Despite historic profits of oil and gas companies, the national average price of gas reached $4.45 per gallon, a record high.
Bohannan said she supported the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, which Miller-Meeks opposed. The bill’s proponents argue empowering the Federal Trade Commission to investigate potential instances of price gouging would dis-incentivize oil companies from limiting production to artificially boost prices. While it cleared the U.S. House of Representatives, the bill has not passed the Senate.
On Abortion
While both candidates have described their bipartisanship, their views on abortion vary greatly.
During the Iowa PBS debate, Miller-Meeks mentioned that she opposed the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have restored the right to abortion enshrined in Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case recently overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. She specifically opposed late-term abortions, which the bill allows for in instances when a mother’s life is in danger. However, federal and state data show abortions after 21 weeks are uncommon, representing 1% of all abortions in the U.S.
Bohannan criticized Miller-Meeks for cosponsoring the Life at Conception Act, which would be a total ban on abortion. Miller-Meeks says she supports exceptions for when the life of the mother is in danger or in cases of rape and incest.
Miller-Meeks was asked about her support for a bill by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, to federally ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Like Graham, Miller-Meeks echoed the idea that 15 weeks polls well and is "the point where a fetus feels pain." There is no scientific consensus on whether or when a fetus can feel pain.
On the Environment: CO2 pipelines
Archer Daniels Midland Company, known as ADM, is partnering with Wolf Carbon Solutions on a carbon capture pipeline to transport carbon from ethanol plants in Cedar Rapids and Clinton to ADM sequestration sites in central Illinois.
Like previous CO2 pipeline projects, they are controversial for residents, particularly landowners who happen to be in areas identified in preliminary maps of the project.
During the debate, Miller-Meeks said she supported these projects because they extended the viability of the ethanol industry, which props up Iowa corn prices.
Bohannan said she opposed carbon pipeline projects because of her opposition to the use of eminent domain.
On Health Care: Prescription drug prices
A provision of the Inflation Reduction Act requires the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate the price of at least 50 brand-name drugs without generic competitors. That reduced price would then be available to both Medicare and private payers.
Bohannan attacked Miller-Meeks for not supporting the policy.
Miller-Meeks, an ophthalmologist, has been a critic of the government negotiating prices with drug manufacturers and of attempts to cap prices for certain medications. She said she is concerned about the impact on innovation in new research and development.
“There are other ways to bring down drug cost rather than negotiating or price caps. And I think that it's valid to look at those. It's valid to have a conversation, to have a bipartisan discussion, over how is it best to bring down drug prices, where we still have innovation, we still have new drugs, we still have new cures.”
While concerned about caps, Miller-Meeks broke ranks with Iowa House Republican U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson and Randy Feenstra to support the Affordable Insulin Now Act. The bill capped the cost of insulin at $35 for a monthly supply under Medicare and private health insurance.
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